Done with DCL

[muse7mom]

Because DH and I are both teachers, it's looking as if we shall have to look elsewhere too. We just can't afford to pay those prices when we are locked into cruising only during the summer months. Disappointed but since someone is obviously willing to pay, they won't miss our business.

 

[ldo]

Why am I leaving--price!
RCCL Freedom class $2500 for a family of 4 for a spring break week-long cruise 2016.
Princess cruise to Aruba spring break 2017 $3K.
Why am I staying--Norwegian Fjords June 2016 $5900 for 4 persons with OBB. Price was actually less than other cruiselines.
and although I usually never jump in to comment on other's posts, for this:
Sail with the lowest bidder. When your kids are grown and heading off to college you will have an extra $1000 in the bank to comfort you,
I would say that virtually all financial planners would say bank that $1K for college. Of course, you can have fabulous family memories on any cruise and any vacation--just as we had GREAT trips staying (yikes) off-site at WDW and taking our lunch without any character meals. Now, we like the luxury of staying at DVC and dining at Jiko, but those early trips were just fine, just as our cheapo RCCL cruise to the Bahamas.

 

[Rogillio]

i'm kind of surprised that this thread has gone off topic. its 'i'm done with dcl' not 'why you should stay with dcl' yet so many of the posts are for the latter.

i'm one of the ones who feels i may very well be done with dcl, i won't close the door completely but i'm on the way out. i don't need someone to tell me why dcl is better for me or even why dcl is better period. i'm smart enough to figure out what is best for me and my family. your smart enough to figure out the same. i personally would like to hear more from the people who have decided that the title of this thread fits them. i would love to hear their reasons.

I think what you are seeing is people writing why they are NOT done with DCL.

But let's be real, what we really seeing is a lot of people complaining about the price of DCL cruises. If DCL suddenly cut their prices in half I'm sure many of the "I'm done with DCL" would book DCL.

OTOH, there are those of us that money is not really an issue and we just like different itineraries....which is why my family started sailing other cruise lines.

 

[tinkerone]

I think what you are seeing is people writing why they are NOT done with DCL.

But let's be real, what we really seeing is a lot of people complaining about the price of DCL cruises. If DCL suddenly cut their prices in half I'm sure many of the "I'm done with DCL" would book DCL.

OTOH, there are those of us that money is not really an issue and we just like different itineraries....which is why my family started sailing other cruise lines.

thats a stupid comment, the main reason people aren't booking with dcl is because of the price BUT its not seeing the value in the price. if dcl suddenly cut their prices in half maybe the value would be there. of course many would choose dcl. many, not all.

as to money not being an issue, it is not an issue in my household and never has been. i could easily afford the royal suite four times a year and not bat an eye however i was brought up in a low income family and know the value of money saved. if there is no value in what i am purchasing then it will not be purchased. i do not see sailing in concierge any better (IMO) than an ocean view room as i don't spend tons of time in my room and also would never use concierge service so to book it just to say i booked it would be a waste and i don't need the bragging rights. again, jmo.

don't discount people because they want to save money. a thousand dollars in my pocket is a thousand dollars i'm not throwing away. it is what has allowed me to be able to book the royal if i so choose. as to telling people their vacations will not be as memorable, our family favourite memories of vacations were camping in a tent in a national park, might have cost a few hundred dollars but it was their favourite. we took our children to wdw every few years however they always talked about the cheapo camping trips and when would we do that again. its the memories you care to make. its called being a family. i feel sorry for you if the only place you and your family can make good vacation memories is on a disney ship. to me their not with you on board. their busy doing their thing and your busy doing yours. maybe not all the time but a lot of the time. i'll keep my camping memories, you keep your dcl memories. thanks.

 

[Rogillio]

thats a stupid comment

Really?

I read a lot of comments and opinions that I think are stupid but civility compels me to bite my tongue.

 

[jahber]

I wouldn't assume everyone that cruises on Disney has to scrimp and save and limit themselves to one vacation a year to take a Disney cruise. There are cruise lines for every budget, and their are plenty of people in this country that don't bat a eye at shelling out 10k for a Caribbean cruise in the Summer. I'm not one those people unfortunately. There were some kids in the Edge on our Hawaii cruise that were on their 22nd dcl cruise in 4 years so I guess there are some people out there with mucho dinero. DCL's market is the upper to upper middle class, and those of us that can cruise in the off season get the middle class prices.

Oh, goodness, no, I don't assume everyone has to scrimp and save. I was responding to the posters who suggest that DCL is the best option for kids, even if you DO have to scrimp and save--and that good parents would do so. Sometimes I assume people can read my mind--why can't you???? . I should have quoted the post I was responding to. I was just being lazy.

 

[MousseauMob]

Contrary to some opinions, I've seen and known lots of kids (mine included) that enjoyed other cruise lines. When my kids were little they preferred other lines over DCL. It's easy for kids to get "lost" in the masses on DCL. So I'm afraid I don't agree that if your kids are young the ONLY option is DCL.

 

[Annabell]

For us, the reason for not booking at this point in time is the combination of high cost and declining product/service.

We were on the Magic (our fifth DCL cruise) in last August after a break of 3 years and we felt there is a decline on the overall product/service. Many little things that have been cut back to save cost on DCL’s part. Service is no longer what it used to be, food gone downhill etc. Of all the 5 DCL cruises we’ve been on, this last one was the most expensive but the least enjoyable one.

So maybe it’s time to let it go !

I don’t see us paying a premium price again to just get a very average product/experience.
.

 

[holula]

I think what you are seeing is people writing why they are NOT done with DCL.

But let's be real, what we really seeing is a lot of people complaining about the price of DCL cruises. If DCL suddenly cut their prices in half I'm sure many of the "I'm done with DCL" would book DCL.

OTOH, there are those of us that money is not really an issue and we just like different itineraries....which is why my family started sailing other cruise lines.

Well... since that the crazy 2017 prices of DCL inspired this thread, then I would guess so. We would probably book more DCL if they were comparable to other lines, but mostly they aren't. So we started looking elsewhere and enjoyed what we found. If a 3 night to the Bahamas was the same as Royal or NCL, then the Dream IS a much nicer ship than the older ships those lines use, but DCL is twice the price and that isn't worth it to us.

 

[texas disney mom]

I guess no one on this thread has to scrimp and save but we do!! We went on out first cruise ever for any of us last year. And our eldest was in his first year of college. It kills me that he didnt get to go as a kid but i know it will be different for his kids and that makes me really happy. We had always wanted to go on dcl but never had the money. It was amazing. And we are planning to go back. But for us it will be one a year. It is tempting to look elsewhere and get two a year. Dcl is very, very expensive and I think even people with a lot of money are wise to think about that. Because life can throw you a curve and you may wish you had been more thrifty down the line.

 

[Orukal]

I guess no one on this thread has to scrimp and save but we do

Oh, God, so do we, to a point. Some, like Rogillio, just live in a different world and have a completely different view on all of this and from his/her (I really don't know, but I'm leaning towards her) statements, I don't think she can fully comprehend where we're coming from.

Our first Disney cruise was almost 3 years ago as my son's Make-a-Wish. We absolutely loved the cruise. We've done what we can to save a little here and there to come up with our current cruise, a EB Panama Canal cruise in two weeks to celebrate his completion of treatment. It's been tight, but we really wanted to do it. We're already planning our next cruise, but it won't be Disney. We'll be going with our older children who couldn't make it on this cruise (One because of a new baby and the other 2 because, guess...they couldn't afford it). After that, my wife would love an Alaskan cruise with just the two of us, again, not Disney.

I think I mentioned it earlier, but my family loves Disney. Adores all things Disney, and while some will say that it's just because of clever marketing, I say, "So what." If they've marketed me into loving Disney and at the same time I actually do love Disney then, hey...Win-win. But I also know when enough is enough. At current prices, the DCL (For me) would have to add more perks, services and benefits to make it worthwhile for me. As much as I love the Disney ambiance and offerings, I'm confident that I would enjoy myself just as much, but just differently, on a different cruise line compared to a DCL.

 

[TifffanyD]

I smell a troll...

 

[Ofinn]

Contrary to some opinions, I've seen and known lots of kids (mine included) that enjoyed other cruise lines. When my kids were little they preferred other lines over DCL. It's easy for kids to get "lost" in the masses on DCL. So I'm afraid I don't agree that if your kids are young the ONLY option is DCL.

Oh I think my kids would enjoy other lines if we cruised in the Summer when other kids were onboard. Our Hawaii cruise had 30 kids in the Edge, and my kids said the Edge wasn't as fun as other cruises with more kids. We have a TA booked for next year and there will probably be fewer kids, but a TA on any other line there would more likely be no kids. I remember on our Magic cruise in Feb. we were docked next to celebrity and I didn't see one kid on that ship. It's definitely a deciding factor right now in staying with DCL. If my kids are bored it's not going to be a fun cruise for mom and dad.

 

[Scoobypop]

i personally would like to hear more from the people who have decided that the title of this thread fits them. i would love to hear their reasons.

For us, it was price as well. The past year especially, several threads have popped up about the rising costs of DCL. Wednesday we embark on our 15th DCL cruise, and we are looking at it as possibly our last one. We definitely can't say "never again", but we know we won't book a placeholder. I stated in a similar thread how we personally are very glad to have tried a different cruise line last Spring, and this Spring. 2014 we sailed RCCL Allure and loved it, and this year we sailed NCL and loved it even more. As much as we love DCL and Disney, there were actually several things on NCL we preferred over DCL. It's already been stated, but the amount of dining options, 24 hours a day. The "included" Ultimate Beverage Package, or whatever perk you include, as NCL has been doing for the past year, was a huge savings and selling point for us. The entertainment blew us away, and overall we said several times, "Kind of glad Disney priced us out this year, this cruise is amazing!" We already have 2 NCL cruises booked next year and will look forward to more on RCCL as well. I wish we had unlimited funds and time off, because I'd love to try Celebrity, Princess and even the new Carnival ships, but we only get so many days off a year, lol. Hope that helps ease concern for anyone nervous about jumping ship to another cruise line. Enjoy whatever you and your family choose.

 

[cgolf]

For us, the reason for not booking at this point in time is the combination of high cost and declining product/service.

We were on the Magic (our fifth DCL cruise) in last August after a break of 3 years and we felt there is a decline on the overall product/service. Many little things that have been cut back to save cost on DCL’s part. Service is no longer what it used to be, food gone downhill etc. Of all the 5 DCL cruises we’ve been on, this last one was the most expensive but the least enjoyable one.

So maybe it’s time to let it go !

I don’t see us paying a premium price again to just get a very average product/experience.
.

This is a big key for us, with the declining service. We like some others don't see the value for the $ we are spending. Our cruise this year and next was definately a good value as was the two times we sailed concierge on the Fantasy. When they raised the concierge price on the fantasy 75% we no longer saw the value in that. To be fair we aren't huge Disney fans, we just had always liked the service we got.

My wife did a bunch of research last night and found that in January 2017 the Fantasy is running 50-100% more than other popular lines like Princess, Celebrity, NCL, RCCL and Holland. Heck on NCL we could have gotten a mini suite for less than an inside on the Fantasy. Looking at the research we could afford DCL, but with a kid in college the value isn't there and the extra cash could be put to good use. And before anyone asks, many of these trips were on those lines newest ships, not bottom of the barrel of their fleets.

I did jokingly have my wife look up a crystal cruise, and due to a 2 for 1 sale it was priced comparably to the Fantasy lol.

 

[cgolf]

I smell a troll...

Curious who, most that are posting on this thread I have come a cross on many threads and while I haven't always agreed with them have respected their posts.

 

[texas disney mom]

Oh, God, so do we, to a point. Some, like Rogillio, just live in a different world and have a completely different view on all of this and from his/her (I really don't know, but I'm leaning towards her) statements, I don't think she can fully comprehend where we're coming from.

Our first Disney cruise was almost 3 years ago as my son's Make-a-Wish. We absolutely loved the cruise. We've done what we can to save a little here and there to come up with our current cruise, a EB Panama Canal cruise in two weeks to celebrate his completion of treatment. It's been tight, but we really wanted to do it. We're already planning our next cruise, but it won't be Disney. We'll be going with our older children who couldn't make it on this cruise (One because of a new baby and the other 2 because, guess...they couldn't afford it). After that, my wife would love an Alaskan cruise with just the two of us, again, not Disney.

I think I mentioned it earlier, but my family loves Disney. Adores all things Disney, and while some will say that it's just because of clever marketing, I say, "So what." If they've marketed me into loving Disney and at the same time I actually do love Disney then, hey...Win-win. But I also know when enough is enough. At current prices, the DCL (For me) would have to add more perks, services and benefits to make it worthwhile for me. As much as I love the Disney ambiance and offerings, I'm confident that I would enjoy myself just as much, but just differently, on a different cruise line compared to a DCL.

It sounds like everything is going well for your son. What a great idea to do the PC cruise to celebrate!

 

[debdisneycruiser]

After 9 cruises with DCL and sharp increases we are looking at other options. 2017 B2B, same month, same stateroom, same 4 Day & 5 Day Bahama/Western Caribbean Cruises is $1200 more than our 2015 date. It seems to be a pattern for Disney owned and operated vacation options. We are also owners at DVC and watching the same pattern at WDW. It is obvious supply and demand economics at work. Grateful there are other options available.

 

[MousseauMob]

Oh I think my kids would enjoy other lines if we cruised in the Summer when other kids were onboard. Our Hawaii cruise had 30 kids in the Edge, and my kids said the Edge wasn't as fun as other cruises with more kids. We have a TA booked for next year and there will probably be fewer kids, but a TA on any other line there would more likely be no kids. I remember on our Magic cruise in Feb. we were docked next to celebrity and I didn't see one kid on that ship. It's definitely a deciding factor right now in staying with DCL. If my kids are bored it's not going to be a fun cruise for mom and dad.

I haven't done a TA, but based on the trip reports I've read, they do have kids on board. We did a roundtrip Hawaii in April on Celebrity and while it was less kids then our roundtrip Hawaii in April on DCL, there were still kids having a wonderful time, as the pictures below attest to.

I hope your family has a wonderful time on your TA, and the kids aren't bored, because I hear you on bored kids are not fun for mom and dad. Although I suspect "less fun" had more to do with the activities, engaging councilors, bonding with other kids, etc. then it does with sheer number of kids.

 

[sarah_carter]

My family is also jumping ship. Just priced the May 2017 on the Fantasy and the April 2017 8th night on Royal and the price is

Disney 5246.70 4A two adults

Royal 2206.00 Deluxe Family Balcony 2 adults
Royal 3211.00 Junior suite 2 adults

We did have the Fantasy booked for next may but canceled because we are taking my grandmother to Alaska in Sept so we went with NCL on the newest ship same dates and ports and will be saving 2000.00. So Disney is pricing families out, I will still getting my Disney fix but it will be at the Parks from now on